


Specchio

by luckywonbebe



Series: To Words and Phrases - MX Oneshots [11]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Dark, Camping, Dark Fantasy, Dark Forest, M/M, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-08 21:10:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15252123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luckywonbebe/pseuds/luckywonbebe
Summary: Minhyuk thought Wonho was suddenly acting weird a few days before their camping trip





	Specchio

Specchio

Italian: ˈspɛkkjo

           Mirror

 

 

"Hyung!"

 

"Aaahh!"

 

Wonho jumped when he felt two limpy arms wrap around his neck. He looked behind and a bright head was smiling at him.

 

"Yah Minhyuk can you not do that? I'm gonna die of shock!"

 

"I'm sorry hyung," the younger one grinned and he sat on top of the desk. "You just looked so immersed and serious and I couldn't help it."

 

Wonho just shook his head and continued sketching on his notebook. He and Minhyuk lived in the same apartment since they were in high school and they were now in their college years, Minhyuk a junior and Wonho already a senior.

 

"I bought some ramen earlier. I was too lazy to cook." Minhyuk jumped off the desk and picked up the paper bag on the couch.

 

Wonho trailed behind him to the kitchen at the sound of 'ramen' and he started heating up some water. "I planned that we could go over at Kihyun's apartment but ramen's fine."

 

"You can't resist ramen." Minhyuk laughed loudly and in a few minutes they were eating their dinner peacefully. It was a nice, domestic feeling.

 

If asked, they would just answer that their friendship grew into something more but they never really thought about it. All they knew was that they can't go without each other anymore. Sure they got some judging remarks and piercing stares in high school but college was a huge relief for them.

 

"Hyung, didn't you say Shownu hyung wanted to camp?"

 

"Oh yeah, he can't stop talking about that", Wonho sipped from his ramen cup. "I dunno the place but he's setting the date already. A week from now?"

 

Minhyuk nodded and he stood up to throw away his cup. "Cool. I wonder where he plans to go."

 

"Beats me. He says he's curious about this forest thing. All I know is that we'll go." he grinned and Minhyuk grins back, sealing their deal with a fist bump.

 

That fist bump had been a secret handshake for the both of them.

 

~~~~

_6 days to go_

 

_"People are nuts about that forest. They want to explore it."_

 

_"People just want to scare themselves."_

 

_"They say people who go there never comes back."_

 

Minhyuk passed by younger students as he walked around the campus. "Yah Kihyun, did you see Wonho hyung?"

 

"Aren't you two always together?"

 

Minhyuk scratched his head as he walked with Kihyun. He woke up that morning and Wonho was nowhere to be found. But he did leave a note saying he would be out first.

 

"He...left a note, though." he said, fishing through his bag and he pulled out the sticky note. He did find it weird that the handwriting was a bit neat. Wonho had a cute way of writing and it was definitely not like this.

 

"Maybe he had some schedule rearranged, or these evil professors called for early meeting so - - hey isn't that him?"

 

They both looked at the direction Kihyun was pointing and they saw Wonho walking briskly across the yard. He was walking with his head down, wearing a pair of black pants and a black sweater and even a black beanie which was kinda weird. He usually didn't wear dark clothes.

 

"Hoseok hyung! Hey! Over here!" Kihyun started to wave.

 

But to both their surprise, Wonho didn't even lift his head before disappearing into the nearest building.

 

Minhyuk knew something was up but he couldn't describe it. "Okay, what?" Kihyun's voice brought him out of his thoughts. "I'll talk to try to him later. Maybe he's having a bad day."

 

Later that night, Minhyuk was able to confirm that Wonho was indeed having a bad day. He was locked up in his room until 9 when Minhyuk called for dinner. "You alright?"

 

"I'm sorry, I just woke up with a bad headache and it's not going away." Wonho dropped himself on the kitchen chair. Minhyuk thought this was not a good time to bring up what happened earlier. Wonho spoke in a monotone and his face didn't change emotions. He looked stoic, emotionless.

 

"Here we still have some medicine."

 

Wonho took it immediately and they ate dinner in quiet before Wonho retreated to his room again. Minhyuk thought it was still weird.

 

~~~~

_5 days to go_

 

"Feeling better?"

 

"What do you mean?" Wonho looked up from his cereal with a soft smile and Minhyuk looked at him weirdly. "Uh, you said you had a bad headache? You locked yourself in your room?"

 

"Um... No I don't? I mean I had headache but it was gone before I could get out of uni." Wonho said and he chuckled heartily. "Maybe you were dreaming. Come on sit down and let's eat."

 

Minhyuk did. But he didn't touch his food. "That's weird. But what about that morning, Kihyun and I saw you at uni, wearing all black. We even called you."

 

Wonho was munching through his cereal before he faced Minhyuk. "Um... It's not me."

 

"Hyung, if you're messing with me--"

 

"No, no. It's really not me!" Wonho's eyes widened. "I didn't leave the architecture building until 2pm and I wasn't wearing black." he explained. Minhyuk fell quiet then.

 

If it wasn't Wonho then what the hell? Who was that? Or was he just too tired these days?

 

~~~~

_3 days to go_

 

"It's still weird."

 

"You think he's lying?" Hyungwon poked on his salad before eating a lettuce leaf and Minhyuk shook his head, pushing away his food. Lately he hasn't been eating as well because his appetite just got topsy turvy as well.

 

After that black outfit thing and that weird breakfast, it was like Wonho just switched everyday. He would be locked up in his room or he would be super clingy. Other times he can't talk to Wonho and even at some days he found small wounds on his body.

 

_It was like... There were two Wonhos._

 

"No, I don't. But something is definitely up. And it's scaring me."

 

"Maybe something in the brain," Kihyun munched his way through a cracker. "Don't you have anything on this?" he pointed to Hyungwon who apparently was a psychology major.

 

"No, I haven't seen it myself and I'm still a student. I'm insufficient.

 

Kihyun nods. "Then have him checked."

 

"Can't," Minyuk sighs. "The nicer hyung is not even aware. So how can I convince him?"

 

"Well whatever this is, you better figure it out. If Wonho hyung is turning up with wounds, that's not good." Hyungwon said seriously.

 

Minhyuk intends to find out what is happening. He can't just let this go. It's turning out more dangerous than bad headaches because his friends were right. The wounds were a bad signal.

 

~~~~

_Camping day_

 

"Alright we'll drive behind you." Wonho told Shownu and all their other friends, Changkyun, Jooheon, Kihyun and Hyungwon rode in the van. Minhyuk got in the passenger's seat as Wonho got in and they drove to their camping site.

 

Sticking to his previous theory, Minhyuk initially thought that it was a 'bad day' and he expected Wonho to be quiet so he was surprised when the older spoke.

 

"It's too quiet don't you think?" he grins and plays a tune on the stereo, even whistling and moving his head to the tune. Minhyuk was sort of relieved.

 

It was his Wonho.

 

"Hyung, I remembered something," he had an idea in mind of course. If Kihyun was hinting something, it was worth a try.

 

"Yeah?"

 

"You know Hyungwon's a psychology major? And they sort of have this project event. They have expert guests that would give psychological tests."

 

"Really?" Wonho signalled the car behind them to go ahead. "Wow can we join? I've always been curious of that!" Wonho smiled at him.

 

Minhyuk released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Yes of course. I've been curious too!"

 

Whatever was happening, he can finally seek out for some answer. Everything was going good. Until - -

 

_"Wow that was a smart move."_

 

The voice sounded dark, wicked.

 

"H-Hyung?"

 

"Yes Minhyuk?" Wonho looked at him innocently, for a brief time before he focused on the road again. Minhyuk felt the hair in the back of his neck stand. Something did not feel right. He reached for his phone to call Kihyun but he looked up to see Wonho speeding towards a curve.

 

"Wonho hyung, that, that's a curve!!"

 

_"Oh,"_

 

The dark voice was back and it gave him chills all over.

 

_" I know."_

 

Before Minhyuk could even hit Call, his vision was suddenly clouded by bright white.

 

"Hyung!!!"

 

~~~~~

 

Minhyuk gasped out loud when he felt a sharp, stabbing pain on his side. He opened his eyes and that was when he realized where he was.

 

In the middle of a dark forest, he wasn't sure where exactly. His face was full of cuts and his body was bruised but the only bad damage was his rib.

 

He tried to sit up as he recalled what happened.

 

_The road was slippery, Wonho lost control of the wheel and they drove through a cliff._

 

"Wonho hyung!" he stood up with much pain and he called for his hyung. He can't be far, the car was just 100 meters away from him.

 

"Shit, my phone's destroyed. Wonho hyung!!" he kept shouting, hoping for an answer. He held his side as he tried to walk.

 

_"M-Minhyuk ah..."_

 

His eyes widened when he heard a weak voice.

 

"Hyung! Where are you?!"

 

"B-behind the car..."

 

Minhyuk immediately followed where the voice was coming from and with much trouble he reached the car.

 

But Wonho wasn't there.

 

_"Wow I did not expect this would work."_

 

He turned slowly and what he saw was certainly not what he was expecting.

 

Shin Wonho.

 

He looked strong, as he always does. But what's ebbing him was that Wonho didn't even have a single bruise on him. Not even a cut. With the height that they fell from, and that glass flew everywhere, he should've gotten even one single cut. But nothing. And Wonho looked like nothing even hurts.

 

"H-Hyung!" Minhyuk's voice cracked. But he did not want to show he was scared. This person... This was his Wonho right? "Waah you're lucky. You don't even have a scratch!"

 

Then suddenly Wonho was laughing and it sent a chill down Minhyuk's spine. It sounded sinister. It wasn't Wonho's bubbly giggle.

 

"I'm sorry, but I am not Wonho. I look like him, but I am not him. It's quite complicated. But in this dark world, things are pretty simple."

 

He started to walk towards Minhyuk and the latter's first instinct was to step back. And he was not going to give in yet.

 

"Hyung what are you talking about?" he chuckled. "Come on, the others are looking for us."

 

"You are delusional," Wonho spoke. He definitely sounded different. His voice didn't have its usual ring in them. He spoke in a cold, emotionless voice. "See it in my point of view. This dark forest is like a mirror. I look like your lover, but I am not him. Out there, is someone who looks like you but is not you."

 

Now Minhyuk started to feel the fear creep in his system. He still tried to fight it but every step Wonho took towards him made his heart pound louder.

 

"Can you not feel it? Or you deny to feel it," Minhyuk took a step back as Wonho spoke and he fell backwards on his bottom. "You deny the fact that you are in fear. That there is no escape."

 

"Shut up!"

 

With the last of his strength, Minhyuk got up and he started to run. He did not care where he was going nor what he was leaving behind. It wasn't the Wonho he knew. _Not anymore._

 

After five minutes of running, he saw the crashed car once again. It can't be. It's not like he circled back right? He was running straight.

 

"No." he firmly scolded himself and he started to run again. The adrenaline in his blood started to pump and it enabled him to move and run. But he already saw the crashed car twice and the hopelessness in his mind was slowing him down.

 

Then he heard that sinister, dark laughter once more and he tripped over a root and hurt his foot. Now he was trapped and he can't move anymore.

 

"I did not want to panic you but as I said, this is a dark forest and you cannot escape."

 

Suddenly Wonho was behind him and Minhyuk crawled away from him. "Where is Wonho hyung?!" Minhyuk shouted in desperation and now the imposter Wonho smiled softly.

 

Minhyuk did not want to believe it. It was a decieving smile, he can't fall for it.

 

"He is at peace now."

 

He followed where the imposter was pointing and he could not help the cry that escaped his lips. "Wonho hyung!!"

 

Just a few meters across him lay a lifeless body. Wonho, the one wearing the clothes he remembered, lay there unmoving, with a pool of liquid just by his head.

 

"No... No!" he screamed at the imposter and he wanted to run to Wonho's body but he suddenly could not move. And he did not have a choice but to back away from this... dark impersonation of Wonho.

 

"This is not real..."

 

"Just close your eyes and you can join your precious hyung."

 

"No! Hyung! Someone... Help!!"

 

"Now what shall I do to you?"

 

"Wonho hyung!!!"

 

_"These cries will forever be lost."_


End file.
